The MeWe Tree Table of Contents

The organization of the following description of the MeWe Tree is in the order of the tree top beginning with the "Me" descending to the Underground Stream (the US or "We") that feeds the tree. Each level is described in order in the following subjects. Some of them required their own separate pages, so if you wish to read them, you will need to click on that link. A return link is provided to navigate back to this Table of Contents.

• Understanding the me
  
  
• Understanding awareness
  
  
• Understanding the self and the Higher Self (This is a separate page.)
  
  
• Understanding Time: the past, the present, and the future
  
  
• Charity Choice Creation Consistency: - The 4 designs for living (This is a separate page.)
  
  
• Love, compassion, humility, integrity, and courage: – Understanding harmony (This is separate page.)

• Patient, persistent, methodical – Understanding the trunk
  
  
• Energetics – understanding the root system (This is a separate page.)
  
  
• US – Understanding the Underground Stream
  

• Understanding the me

At the top of the tree is the Me - this is you as you present yourself to the world. Think of the Me as your ego or personality. It is not who you really are. For most of us, the true Self is submerged under a mass of defenses, beliefs, judgments, and opinions that are physical world based. The Me is like the star at the top of the Christmas Tree or the flag atop the pole. It is what people see first. As we descend down the tree into the lower reaches of the branches we will find hidden among them the understandings that lead to the realization of and reconnection with the true Self.

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• Understanding awareness

The first level below the Me is Awareness. As humans, we are always in one of two states: physical awareness or Spirit awareness. Even when we sleep, we are in one these two states, and the state is reflected in the nature of our dreams.

Physical awareness occupies most of the time of the vast majority of humans. In this state we are concerned about "issues" that reflect our physical well being. For example, health, wealth, power, concern for others, safety, social status, right versus wrong, and the biological urge for sex illustrate the concerns that root us in physical awareness. When we are in physical awareness, our attention is focused on our biological selves. There is nothing "wrong" in existing in a state of physical awareness. We have a mandate to keep our biological bodies in good working order so that we may be capable of taking the actions that forward us. Many of us become so concerned with keeping our biological bodies satiated and safe, that we seldom venture out of physical awareness.

Essentially, Spirit awareness is a state of selfless love and acceptance. While in this state, the ego and identity are all set aside, replaced by a sense of connectedness in which we are profoundly related to everything. Spirit awareness is directly experiencing the flow of creative energy. This may seem like an impossible state in which to exist. You have been in this state many times in your lifetime. You simply may not have been aware of the nature of the state. Spirit awareness is the "natural" state for us. Physical awareness is "unnatural."

The nature of our biology demands that we put survival first so that the body remains intact and functioning. However, in the industrialized world, we extend physical awareness far beyond the biological mandate. We have placed "meaning" on virtually every aspect of our physical lives. Where we live, the car we drive, the title of our position, the amount of power we have, how much money we make, and the adornments we place on our bodies have taken on far more significance than necessary. Moreover, they separate us from our fellow humans instead of bringing us together. Competition (for physical symbols of success) has succeeded cooperation. Consequently, we experience "scarcity" and drive ourselves to get "ours" at the expense of others attempting to get "theirs." A common description of this phenomenon is the "rat race" (with apologies to rats).

Once again, there is nothing "wrong" in engaging in the rat race. All that we do in life is an opportunity to learn. We take some of the opportunities, and some of them we don't. There is no judgment either way. Once we have knowledge of Spirit awareness, it can become the desired state of awareness because it is the truly natural state. We aspire to Spirit awareness because it is the state we want to be in and not because we think it is the state that we should be in.

The understanding at this level is simple. There are two different states of awareness. There is a need to have physical awareness to protect and nurture our physical bodies. Beyond that, true happiness, contentment, fulfillment, and harmony are achieved by being in a state of Spiritual awareness.

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• Understanding the self and the Higher Self (Click for a separate page.)

• Understanding Time: the past, the present, and the future
  

The next level down the tree is time. As humans we think of time as linear with a past, present, and future, and this concept of time is our invention. As useful as our concept of time is it also acts to inhibit our finding our way to our Higher Self and reconnection with the Divine within each of us. Before venturing into spiritual time, let's take a closer look at past, present, future. The past is that which in our memory and records occurred before the present moment. You began reading this paragraph in the past. There is no real, temporal evidence that you ever began reading it. That you did begin reading it is an illusion because you cannot go back and have the same experience. Of course you can reread the beginning, but it is not the same as the first time, or is it? You see, we cannot know for sure because the past is not accessible to us directly.

The past really has little value, and yet we ascribe great value to it. We fear what happened in the past, we long for what happened in the past, and we fantasize about what happened. The fact is we really do not know what happened. The greatest value of the past is found in what we learned from whatever happened.

The learning is the learning. What the exact circumstances were is unknown. Who remembers when he first learned to not touch fire or something hot? Almost all of us have learned that survival tip but when did we learn, who was there, what happened, what did you do, what did others do? The details are unimportant. The learning around the physical damage that can be caused by extreme heat is. When we live from what we believed happened in the past, the past becomes a template that overlays the present and the future (or at least what we perceive will happen in the future).

For example, if as a young child, we have an experience of being punished for having a messy bedroom, then we can develop a belief that being messy causes the withdrawal of love. Taking that forward into adult life could cause an obsessive compulsive behavior to always have everything around us to be meticulously neat to the point of the absurd, and paradoxically result in a withdrawal of love. So when we overlay the present and our view of the future with the past, we are using an archaic methodology that does not serve us.

Putting the past in the past is a great and powerful lesson. It is germane to awakening one's spiritual awareness in the sense that if the past tells you that no Higher Self could possibly exist, much less the ability to communicate with it, then it doesn't and you can't, at least within your own belief system. In the tradition of Incan shamanism, the central concept is that of the medicine wheel composed of the four cardinal directions. Each direction has a path and a purpose. One begins walking the wheel beginning in the south. The south is the path of putting the past behind, a necessary precursory activity to moving further along the evolutionary path that the wheel provides. If one does not first walk the path of the south, then attempting the other paths will not be very productive because of the still persistent influence and patterning of the past.

The present is now. It exists for a very short duration, over and over. It is the only real aspect to human or physical time. An exercise that I use frequently in coaching and training is to ask the person or group, "What time is it?" Of course, someone looks at a watch or clock and says something like 2:37. I then ask again what time is it. Maybe I am told 2:38, I ask over and over, until someone finally says that magic word, "Now!" Now is the only "time" in which we can exercise any power or control. We cannot control the past; it is over. We cannot control the future for it has not happened yet. Often people think they can control the future, but they cannot. If you need validation, look at the rate of divorce. Much divorce happens because one or both partners believe that the future can be controlled from the present.

Our lives are composed of a collection of moments occurring in the now. We live our lives moment by moment, breath by breath. If you want something in the future, live it now. Waiting for something to get better (or worse) in the future is betting on a three-legged horse. You lose! To be present is to realize the now. Our lives are compositions of what we do in the moment, not a dredging up of the past or a projection into the future. "If only I had such and such, life would be ideal." Even we get such and such, we usually want another bigger, better such and such, and on it goes until we have the biggest, best headstone.

The quality of life is defined in the moment, in the now, not what was or what we hope will be. We can only access our Higher Self and Spirit in the moment, and in that access, we find the connectedness, the joy, the harmony that truly does make being human worthwhile. To awaken awareness and experience our Higher Self, we must be in the moment.

The future is unknown and unknowable. So many of us consult those who have a limited view of the future in the anticipation that we can know what will happen to us next? I am not disparaging astrologers, clairvoyants, or anyone with a clear gift to peer briefly into what may be. Someone who is truly talented in this regard will usually tell seekers of the future that their ability is to interpret, not to predict. The interest of some in spiritual seeking is limited to what they hope will provide them with an edge in the future. Manifesting is about stating what we wish to have happen and for what good purpose, then leaving the results to the Universe. Intention and not anticipation is the key to managing the future.

So far we dealt with human or physical time. What of spirit time? Since we cannot experience spirit time in our human form, we do not possess the vocabulary to describe spirit time; however, there are experiences of spirit time available through meditation, dreaming, and journeying that can give us an idea of spirit time. In the limited vocabulary that we have, spirit time is circular with the past, present, and future interchangeable. Spirit time is multi-dimensional as well.

For example, if you visualize a point in spirit time as a line extending infinitely, then there are an infinite number of points along the line each one representing a possible interpretation of that point. For example, if you are in conversation with someone and it is your turn to speak, then there are a huge number of words that you could use to reply. Each of those is a possible interpretation. Add to that the possibility that the electricity will fail at that moment, a comet will strike the building, an earthquake will hit, someone else will walk up to you, and on and on, becoming a staggering range of interpretations of that moment. On the vertical line, those are all "viewable," thus, when someone has a vision of the future, one of those interpretations or possibilities is seen. It may be the most probable one, but it is not a certain thing.

The understanding around time is this. The past and future are not germane to the present. The present holds the only temporal access to the Higher Self and to Spirit. To evolve spiritually it is necessary to learn to be in the moment and let the past and future go.

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• Charity Choice Creation Consistency - the 4 designs for living
  (Click for a separate page)

• Love, compassion, humility, integrity, and courage: Understanding harmony (Click for a separate page)

• Patient, persistent, methodical – Understanding the trunk

A tree trunk is the supporting structure for the network of limbs. The trunk also carries nourishment from the earth via the roots up through the entire circulation system of the tree. Without the trunk, the tree could not possible exist. The trunk of the Me-We Tree consists of three practices that when used in concert with the other understandings, gives the tree life and enables it to flourish.

The first practice is to be patient. Impatience occurs when an expectation is not met when we think it should. For most of us Spiritual growth really occurs bit by bit. Even major revelations or events take time to transform a person's way of being. Transformation happens in steps. First, there is knowledge or awareness. We must know of a thing before it can become present in our consciousnesses. Second, we use the knowledge to experience, to move the knowledge into the realm of action. Third, from the experience we gain an understanding or discerned truth. The writings that describe the Me-We Tree are my personal understandings. They may become yours, or you may find truths that are different. The fourth step is transformation based on the understanding. Transformation is a new way of thinking, saying, or acting; it is a different way of managing our energy as will be seen in the understanding around Energetics that follows.

Given this process of knowledge-experience-understanding-transformation, the importance of patience is clear. In order to evolve, to grow, we must allow the opportunities for knowledge and experience to present themselves. Spirit will never give us more than we can handle. We may feel overwhelmed or helpless at times. These emotions occur out of not having the understanding of the process. A good practice to follow is to take inventory now and then of where you are and look back to where you started. Usually, your growth is very evident if you have been diligent in asking for and seeking that which will move you forward. Having patience in using any of the understandings of the Me-We Tree is imperative for transformation.

The second practice is that of being persistent. It is not enough to be patient; the seeker must be persistent in putting the understandings into practice. In fact, persistence can shorten the time needed to transform. Persistence is building the muscle. On a physical level, if one wishes to gain enough strength and endurance to run a mile or couple of kilometers and is starting from only being able to run a few yards or meters, then having patience to build to the greater distance is obvious. It is also obvious that in the day after making the decision to run the distance, the new runner will not be able to do so. The runner must train persistently and add distance gradually until at last the desired distance is reached. Patience and persistence have been combined to achieve success.

The third practice is being methodical. Methodical is knowing what you want to achieve and staying with it, not being diverted or abandoning the quest. It is having a focus that does not waiver. In using any of the teachings of the Me-We Tree, it is important to keep focused and methodically gain the experience and personal understandings that will cause a transformation. As in the analogy with the runner, if the runner keeps changing the distance or decides to abandon running and take up pole vaulting only to abandon that and take up the shot put, the probability of ever having any expertise (transformation) is doubtful. Being methodical requires focus and having a plan of progression toward that which is sought. Again, our runner is well served if the plan for achieving the distance uses a pattern of adding distance periodically to the schedule and keeping to the schedule.

If it becomes your intention to descend from the lofty perch of The Me down into the understandings that lead to fulfillment and reconnection with the Divinity within, then the trusty practices of being patient, persistent, and methodical will serve you well.

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• Energetics – understanding the root system (Click for a separate page.)

• US – Understanding the Underground Stream

As the roots of the MeWe Tree taper downward, they reach a vast Underground Stream called The US. This stream connects all of humanity with the Universe. Thus we are not only united with all of our fellow humans, we are united with the universal One.

Our goal in this earthly energy is to awaken our awareness of the US and to have the experience of reuniting with it. We have never truly been disconnected; our humanity tells us that we are individual "ones" that are disassociated from one another so our sense of unity is of being self-contained, separate, individual. This is the wellspring of fear.

Since we perceive ourselves as being so small and alone, there is seemingly much to fear, and we fall prey to all manner of imagined threats. Life can be seen as a struggle in which we must get ours before someone takes if from us. Since so many of our brothers and sisters are operating from the same paradigm, their behaviors reinforce struggle, greed, jealousy, hatred-all of the very heavy energetic behaviors that are indeed the way life is. Is it really?

A scarcity based belief system perpetuates itself through the principles of Energetics. We create scarcity because we expect scarcity to be returned to us as we release energy. Since the Universe is set up to return to us what we expect, we get scarcity. The Universe does not care if we have scarcity or abundance. It is a matter of energy and of our choosing, of exercising the blessed free will that is ours.

Energy is everything. Understand this and all else is clear.

All is not lost for there is another "one" in our human equation. It is the splinter of the One that we carry inside of our bodies embedded in our cellular structure within our DNA. It is a finite expression of the infinite One, the soul. Our humanity stands between the One and our human experience of al-one-ness, "aloneness." Is it not interesting that in English, this word contains "one?" With our al-one-ness standing between the universal One from which we came and the splinter of the One which can reconnect us, how do we reconnect?

Spirit has given us a marvelous mechanism for knowing where to go to reunite our essence (splinter) of the One with the universal One. The mechanism is called "yearnings." A yearning is an unfulfilled expression of the soul. Yearnings are conscious messengers to our humanness that tell us what we would need to do to be united with the One and thus fulfilled as humans in this energy. Yearnings are pathways to heaven on earth. Consider for a moment what yearnings are not. Yearnings are not physical-world based "wants." They cannot be satisfied by wealth, power, prestige, or sex.

What are they? They are pulls that come to us in the quiet of the night. They are longings that rise in our consciousnesses with the sun. They are the waking dreams that seem unreachable. They are what come to us when the rare moment is taken to consider what life is really about. They are the vague, uneasy, softly whispered hints that there must be more to life than this. They are the answers to the question, why should I bother to reunite with the One?

How do you know a yearning? The test is simple. A yearning will seemingly appear to be impossible as life is occurring. Thus, it is relegated to the backwater of consciousness and shunted aside to pursue the will of the wisp of security that is always just beyond reach. It is a dream that you know intrinsically will not lose its potency on awaking. It is what you know in your innermost being that truly expresses who you are in this life. It is your destiny.

So we come back to the assertion that yearnings are the means to transform our humanity and reconnect our finite "one" with the Infinite One. To achieve our yearnings, it is necessary to take the steps to develop awareness and to reconnect with our Divinity, the One. To do so takes work (sorry) and commitment (sorry once more) to go deeply into our humanity, find those elements that we created that block us from seeing who we truly are, transforming those elements, and then reconnecting all of the parts of our being. As yearnings are unfilled expressions of the soul, then we must reacquaint with our soul. That is the first step to full integration of the One, the Self, and the self.

The means to reintegrate is contained in the MeWe Tree. It is possible to reconnect with the Divinity within by applying the model of: knowledge-experience-understanding-transformation provided above. As mentioned earlier, and bears repeating, the understandings of the MeWe Tree are mine. They may be yours, and they may not. Your own discernment will enable you to apply, modify, reject, and add to them as is in your own best and highest good. Your own Higher Self is the best guide in that task.

If you choose to begin this inward trek, I wish to add an observation that has been formed from my own experience over the years of consciously evolving my own Spirituality.

All that you need to make this journey is within you.

Looking for answers outside of yourself will not get you to your destination. Endless books, seminars, tapes, astrological charts, crystals, essential oils, yoga, tai chi, readings, retreats, and so on are like breathing pure oxygen for a short period of time. While you are breathing pure oxygen, you feel great, different, elevated. When the pure oxygen is replaced with ordinary air, the great feelings quickly dissipate. There is nothing "wrong" with any of these activities or sources of knowledge (including this web site). The utility of these sources is to serve as a roadmap for going inward to the places you do not want to go for they contain the aspects of your life that are holding you back, and yet, they are comfortable and known. The "Do Not Disturb" sign hangs on a rusty doorknob.

I know of no roadmap that ever actually transported someone someplace. We must take the actions necessary to follow the map and not expect that by the reading the map of the streets of Paris will we have the experience of being there. The books, seminars, and so forth are maps to reconnection. They will not take you there. You must make the journey yourself. Just as there are people who can facilitate a physical journey and recommend the best places to stay, where to eat, what to visit, and what to avoid, there are facilitators who can facilitate the journey inward. Do you have to use one? No and the journey can be faster and easier if you avail yourself of one. Just make sure that he or she has already been where you want to go. Discern.

You have traversed the MeWe Tree beginning at the very top where The Me reigns supreme without a clue of what lies below. As we venture downward though the layers of branches, we began to gain knowledge of awareness, the two selves, time, the 4 designs for living, and harmony. We discovered the nature of the trunk of the tree that supports all of the layers of branches through patience, persistence, and methodicalness. We dared go underground into the root system and discovered Energetics, the key to all other understandings. Last, we passed through the root system to join the great Underground Stream, the US where we saw how we are part of the vast collection of all energies known as the One. This is the transformational path of consciousness and awareness, of moving from the Me to the We (US) and the profound blessings that come from the journey.

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